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Niittymaki Out 4-to-6 Weeks

by
Staff Writer
/ Philadelphia Flyers

Philadelphia Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren announced on Monday that goaltender Antero Niittymaki will be out for four-to-six weeks after having surgery on his left hip. Below are comments from Holmgren and Niittymaki.

- - -Q: What happened with Antero?

Paul Holmgren: “Last Friday, Antero had a small surgical procedure done on his left hip where he had some fluid drained and also some loose bodies that were in his joint. This was more of a clean-up process performed by Dr. Thomas Byrd at Baptist Hospital in Nashville, Tennessee. Right now, we anticipate him being out for four-to-six weeks. Obviously, that could change depending on how Antero feels. We will continue to monitor him. He has already begun he rehab process and we will see how it goes.”

Antero Niittymaki will likely miss all of training camp with a left hip injury. (Getty Images)

Q: Is there any idea when this occurred?

PH: “It goes back to little over month ago. He had a mild concern from his training regiment in Finland. We brought him over and sent him to Dr. Byrd in Nashville. At that time, Dr. Byrd drained some fluid out of his hip and put some medicine in his hip to see how Antero would respond. He went back to Finland and continued to skate. When he came back to the United States with his family to prepare for training camp, there was still lingering issues. Dr. Byrd performed a minor arthroscopic procedure on his hip and that is where we are right now.”

Q: What is the plan now with the goaltending?

PH: “We are going into training camp with six goalies. Obviously, Antero won’t be ready for training camp. We will continue to monitor his rehab and hopefully he will be ready at the start of the regular season or a little bit after that.”

- - -

Q: When exactly did this happen?

Antero Niittymaki: “It started to get sore in July. It kind of got worse and worse. I spoke with Jimmy McCrossin (Flyers Athletic Trainer) and we decided it would be best if I would fly back to see the doctor and see what is going on.”

Q: How disappointing is this setback?

AN: “Obviously, it is disappointing to miss training camp. I had high hopes this season. I feel like I am in very good shape and ready to go and something like this happens. It is a disappointing thing, but the good news is that I should be back in four-to-six weeks and be ready to go when the season opens."